Cathy Noe knows fitness

When Cathie Noe first arrived in South Miami 32 years ago from Greensboro, North Carolina, close friend Cheryl Wiggins introduced her to the budding jazzercise movement. Ever since then, the super fit 63 year old personal trainer has been dancing and stretching her way to optimum health and taking her many students along for the ride. “It’s just fun,” said Noe. “I could not have done anything for 32 years unless I loved it and saw the benefits. No matter how you feel when you come in or whatever mood you are in after driving through traffic, you will feel better by the end of the class.”

Noe Limit Fitness by Cathie Noe offers jazzercise at the Gibson-Bethel Community Center and Senior Center along with a series of stretch and flex, booty camp, core, and personal training classes at the Gracie Barra Jiu Jitsu Center, 6600 SW 62 Avenue. She is certified to teach a range of fitness programs and has worked with area hospitals and helped convalescing patients over the years as well.

“I started my own jazzercise franchise here in 1981 and I love it I love it I love it. It is the best aerobics class in the world; a combination of dance, Pilates, kick boxing, jazz, and ballet,” said Noe. With an estimated 450,000 students worldwide according to Jazzercise, Inc. it remains one of the largest and most successful exercise programs around since its start in 1969 by founder Judi Sheppard Missett.

Noe offers her own unique hybrid routines at the Gracie Barra Center that incorporate exercise balls, Pilates, core workouts, and some weights in stretch and flex themed classes. “The routine changes every week here and we work with different muscle groups. The well-padded cushion floor challenges you to stay balanced and maintain posture while working your abdominal core in controlled, tight movements.”

Gymnast Joseph Pilates pioneered “contrology” or a way to use your mind to control the exercise movements of your body. “Pilates is dance based,” said Noe. “It is holding your body in elongated simple stretch movements using your mid-section. The Pilates moves, exercise balls and weights in motion help you get firm, lose inches, and burn fat in a way that a gym workout cannot.”

Long time student and friend Nancy Lerner has been exercising alongside Noe for 30 years. She started with the stretch and flex classes to supplement her tennis game. “Cathie’s classes make me feel stronger,” said Lerner. “I can work on different muscle groups and stretch out the kinks. It’s such a pleasure to join in and get a release from everyday life.”

Noe credits a regular exercise routine as a healthy way to balance the challenges of everyday life. “It really helps you get through crisis in life,” said Noe. “It got me through a divorce. Students become friends and so we have a wonderful social network of mostly women but some men join us as well. It’s not just about weight loss. We have students who are breast cancer survivors or recovering from injuries who see the benefits of a healthy body and mind.”

Beginners, intermediate, and advanced students who enjoy low or high impact workouts can all find their groove according to Noe. She pumps up the classes with a combination of Latin, country, pop, hip-hop and rock and roll mixes. The first class is complimentary and various packages are available depending on schedule preferences.

“It is hard but gratifying work to keep your body fit and far away from disease,” said Noe. “If we are going to have a fighting chance at longevity we need to exercise.”